Boost needed for metal recycling for Tokyo Olympic Medals
Jiji -- Jan 02
With some two-and-a-half years to go before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, a novel project to create gold, silver and bronze medals for the competitions by utilizing so-called urban mines needs a boost.

The project, launched in April 2017 by the organizing committee for the games, the Environment Ministry and others, calls for recovering gold, silver and copper from used electronic devices, including mobile phones, with the aim of making all of some 5,000 medals for the quadrennial sporting events from the recycled metals.

To achieve that goal, the project organizers have asked local governments to cooperate by, among other things, installing recycling boxes.

Of all municipalities in Japan, 1,220, or about 70 pct, have expressed their intention to join the project. But the participation rate differs greatly prefecture by prefecture.

All municipalities are taking part in the project in seven of the nation's 47 prefectures--Toyama, Fukui, Wakayama, Yamaguchi, Kagawa, Ehime and Kumamoto. By contrast, the proportion of participating municipalities is below 50 pct in seven other prefectures, with the lowest figure standing at 33.9 pct, in Fukushima, followed by 36.6 pct, in Okinawa, and 37.1 pct, in Yamagata.

News source: Jiji